The Look
by Lemon Green
Summary: Talk CSI Valentine's Day challenge fic. EC. That is all I will tell you. The story will speak for itself.


A/N: Okay, so here's my Valentine's Day fic. It's only a week late, but I still get credit, right? This was the challenge from talkcsi, and we were supposed to include the following elements: a strange smell, someone burning someone else accidentally, badly, or repeatedly, and a black eye. I included an author's note at the end too. Hopefully that will explain some things

/-/-/

_"Mmmh, lucky you!" Valera said, peering over Calleigh's shoulder and into her locker. "Someone gave you nasty candy hearts!"_

_"They're not nasty," Calleigh replied, shaking the decorative bag in her face. "They make Valentine's day. Besides, you got them too."_

_Opening her own locker and seeing this to be true, Valera pulled a face. "Since you like them so much, want mine?"_

_"They're from Alexx's kids! At least take them home and pretend to eat a few…Alexx said they spent half the night picking out just the right hearts for each person." Straddling the bench, Calleigh dumped a few hearts into her palm. "U-R COOL, MISS YOU, U ME BABE__, NICE GIRL__…huh, well I guess there isn't much to choose from," she murmured, popping them into her mouth._

_"So wrong…" Valera muttered, pulling a disgusted face._

_"What's 'so wrong'?" Eric asked, making his way to his own locker._

_"She's actually eating those things."_

_"Oh, come on, Maxine! It's not like I'm eating lutefisk chips," Calleigh laughed._

_Eric rolled his eyes playfully. "So what are you ladies up to tonight?"_

_"Oh, you know, what every single girl does on __Valentine's Day__," Valera said coyly, receiving raised eyebrows from both Calleigh and Eric. "Go to a dive bar, get shit-faced drunk, and have mad sex in the back of the car with a man you don't even know and will hopefully never see again." And without another word, she turned on her heel, giving them both a small wave, and headed out of the locker room._

_"Play safe," Eric called, slightly uncomfortably.__ Then, c__losing his locker and turning all of his attention to Calleigh, Eric asked, "What about you? Plans for tonight?"_

_Calleigh smiled softly. "Same thing I do every night, Pinky."_

_"What?"_

_"Oh come on, you never saw 'Pinky and the Brain'? 'Gee Brain, what are we going to do tonight?' 'Same thing we do every night, Pinky, try to take over the world.'" She said, changing her voice to match Pinky's and Brain's respectively. "Well I thought they were funny."_

_"You going out?" Eric asked with forced nonchalance._

_"Yeah. Despite what Valera says, she, Natalia, and I are going to celebrate 'singles awareness day.'"_

_"Celebrate what?"_

_Calleigh shrugged. __"Valera's words, not mine. __What about you?"_

_Eric laughed genuinely. "Yeah, I have a date. We're doing the whole night on the town thing."_

_Oh. Unconsciously, Calleigh stepped back. "Great, well…have fun. See you tomorrow." Calleigh flung her bag over her shoulder and exited without another word. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn'__t feel in control enough to safely say much else to him._

Calleigh sighed, absently stirring her margarita. She was being stupid. First off, Eric had dated plenty of other girls. Second, did she _actually_ expect anything to come of whatever it was going on between them? Like a girl, the type of girl she'd always prided herself in not being, she had thought about…no dwelled on Eric's attitude when she was with Jake. And she always came to the same conclusion.

And it wasn't that Eric was in love with her.

"Calleigh, the guy by the door is checking you out!" Valera said in an overemphasized whisper, leaning in close to Calleigh. "Would you like me to introduce you?"

"Hey, I thought this was girl's night." Natalia said, carefully watching Calleigh's face.

Calleigh laughed and nodded in agreement. "No men tonight."

Valera smirked, taking another sip of her drink. "Unless he happens to be tall, dark, Cuban, and on a date with another girl," she said in a singsong voice that reminded Calleigh very much of her youngest brother.

"Wait, what?" Natalia asked.

Calleigh rolled her eyes, but Valera smiled indulgently and said, "It seems Miss Duquesne's mind is on a date with a certain CSI and the girl he took out tonight."

"Ah, Eric. Of course."

"Valera, can't you just say things straight out?" Calleigh asked, rolling her eyes again.

Valera set her drink down carefully and fixed Calleigh with a look. "Okay," she said finally. "I think that when it finally happens, it'll be up-against-the-wall-then-up-against-the-counter-then-in-the-bed-three-times-then-in-the-shower-followed-by-passing-out-from-extreme-exhaustion-sex so hot you two could star in your own porno."

With difficulty, Calleigh pushed the images elicited by Valera's comment out of her head, blushing profusely. "Because that's the start of a quality relationship," she said, attempting to keep her voice light.

"It is when you've loved the guy forever and are having sex based on how many years of repressed feelings? You guys should be married by now…or at least having hot 'against-the-rules' co-worker sex."

"Oh geez," Calleigh muttered, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks again.

Again, Valera smiled. "Don't tell me you're not imagining it right now, Calleigh: his fingers up and down your body, kissing you, making you feel more like a woman than you've ever felt in your life."

"Well that's uncomfortable," Calleigh said. She didn't know quite what to think of the little outburst. She glanced at Natalia, hoping to find an ally. Instead, she saw her other friend laughing and nodding. "You guys are ridiculous."

Valera shrugged and took a long sip of her drink. "Eh. It's all a matter of perspective."

"Speak of the devil," Natalia murmured, looking past Calleigh. Instinctively, Calleigh turned her body, following Natalia's gaze to the bar. It wasn't a terribly crowded area, all things considered, but the bartender certainly had a nice sized group of people hanging out. Calleigh watched for a moment as he flirted with a young, way-too-thin girl with short hair and an even shorter skirt. Her eyes lazily wandered the bar, and she quickly spotted what Natalia was referring to.

He'd changed from his work clothes into a button-up shirt, top three buttons undone, and a pair of jeans. Calleigh's eyes followed the line down his head and to his hand which was resting on the back of a woman with long, curly light brown hair. Calleigh watched as he leaned into her, and seconds later, the girl laughed, giving Eric a playful smack on the shoulder.

"She is a pretty girl," Natalia commented. Involuntarily, Calleigh shot her a withering look.

Eric and his date turned. From the corner of her eye, Calleigh saw Valera beckoning to them, and she groaned inwardly. As they approached, Calleigh noted that his hand still rested on the small of her back. More than that, she was beautiful—tanned skin, olive eyes, and a bright smile. She could see why Eric was out with her. After all, that was the kind of woman he was looking for.

"Calleigh?" Natalia said, breaking her from the self-pitying reverie.

"Don't mind her," Valera told Eric's date. "Her dog just died."

Eric shot Calleigh a questioning glance, but she only rolled her eyes in response. Unfazed, he introduced his date to his co-workers. From the mist, Calleigh caught her name, Audra. Even her name was unique. Valera motioned for the couple sit down, and Calleigh couldn't help but watch as he pulled out the chair for his date before sitting down himself. Surely he and his date had better things to do than spend the evening with his co-workers…

But Audra seemed quite at ease, Calleigh observed, as she conversed uninhibitedly with Natalia and Valera. Calleigh participated half-heartedly in the conversation, carefully watching Audra the entire time. There was something about this woman that she just didn't trust.

/-/-/

"Calleigh?" Calleigh snapped to attention to find Audra looking at her expectantly, and Calleigh quickly realized they were the only two at the table. Where the others had gone, she had no idea. She sighed and looked at the other woman.

"Yes?" Calleigh asked, using a tone of voice she definitely hadn't intended to use.

Audra smiled. "You didn't want anything more to drink, did you? Eric just went to get more."

Calleigh looked down at the watery remains of her margarita, still pretty full. "Nah, I'm good. So…how did you and Eric meet?" If either woman realized they were treading on thin ice, they didn't heed the warning signs.

"Mutual friend. He's great, isn't he?" Audra said, smiling once again. "This is our first date, but he's been nothing but a gentleman the entire night. Honestly, I don't know how he stayed single for so long."

Calleigh nodded absently. "He's a good guy."

"Not too much of a good guy, I hope," she responded suggestively.

Calleigh raised a questioning eyebrow. "Good enough…"

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, but without waiting for a response, she said, "have you…do you know what he's like? In bed?"

Calleigh shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. Was this girl really asking her about Eric's sex life?

"I can imagine he's passionate, maybe rough," Audra said somewhat breathlessly.

"How long have you two known each other?" Calleigh asked, seriously hoping to redirect the conversation.

Audra carelessly flipped her hair over her shoulder, shaking it out behind her. "My sister introduced us last week. They live in the same building."

Calleigh nodded, trying oh-so-hard to concentrate on what the woman was saying. "You didn't go out sooner?" she asked casually.

"It's been a busy week. Trust me, if I had it my way, this would be our fourth date. He is a sexy, sexy man."

Again, Calleigh nodded, studying the woman carefully. Did she really have no sense of boundaries?

Abruptly, Audra turned her entire body towards Calleigh, placing her palms face down on the table. "You two are close, right?"

"Yeah," Calleigh replied cautiously. There was definitely something off with this girl.

"So…what do you think my chances are…tonight?"

"I'm sorry, how old are you?" Calleigh asked, voicing her thoughts before she could process the implications of allowing the words to slip from her mouth. She tried to hold back the disgusted look that threatened to take over her face. Why was a woman she barely knew talking about this?

"What?"

Calleigh shook her head, attempting to clear it. She'd heard plenty of girls, especially at crime scenes, talking about Eric, so why was this getting her ire up? Calleigh took in a quiet breath, then, as controlled as she could make her voice, she said, "I'm sorry, I just don't understand why you're asking me."

"You guys have dated, haven't you?"

What? Calleigh just stared blankly, attempting to muster up the appropriate response.

"You just seem…never mind. I thought you'd know. I mean, normally, I'm not that type of girl, but if he asked, I'd not say no."

Calleigh frowned. What would happen if she gave this girl a black eye? "Look, I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm pretty sure Eric's looking for more than a one-night stand.

"I-I didn't mean it like that…" Audra mumbled, her voice shaking slightly. "I…it was just girl talk."

Calleigh snorted but was saved from responding by Natalia.

"Hey, anything exciting happen while I was gone?" Natalia asked, sliding into her seat.

"Audra would like to know how Eric is in bed," Calleigh explained. Beside her, the young woman flushed, eyes turned downward. Natalia flashed Calleigh a look of pure confusion, but Calleigh (wisely) said nothing else.

"I think I'll help Eric with the drinks," Audra muttered, standing before taking off like a shot. Once she had put a good distance between the table and herself, Calleigh noticed her posture change. No longer did she look like a dog that had just peed in the house, some of the confidence and beauty she had at the beginning began to return, more so with every step she took towards Eric.

Again, Calleigh couldn't help but watch with hawk-like intensity as Audra approached Eric from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist. Calleigh narrowed her eyes. Clearly this woman had no scruples about public displays of affection or making a good impression. Then again, she realized with some sadness, Eric didn't seem to mind too much. He turned around and leaned down. Calleigh turned before she could see anymore. Really, it was bad enough seeing everyone else in the club all over each other. She didn't need to see her friend like that too.

"You had your chance, baby cakes." Valera said joining Calleigh and Natalia.

Calleigh rolled her eyes. It had nothing to do with that. "I just don't understand how people can be so cavalier about showing affection in public. Do people have any sense of decency anymore?"

"You mean the couple pretty much having sex over there?" Valera asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

Well…that too.

"The only thing I don't understand is why they would hang out with us on Valentine's Day," Natalia mused. "If I were on a date, I'd stay away from work as much as possible."

Valera nodded. "Though, he hasn't been out in a while. Maybe he's nervous."

Calleigh laughed. Eric nervous? On a date? Doubtful. And clearly, he had nothing to be nervous about because his date would probably jump him regardless of the date itself. "I'm sure he'll be fine," she said, attempting to cover her slight outburst.

"At least until Calleigh gets a hold of him," Natalia murmured to Valera. Calleigh shot them both a glare. Really, she didn't appreciate their implications. She was just considering leaving when Eric and Audra returned to the table. Eric locked eyes with Calleigh for a moment, a very brief moment, his expression soft.

Not once taking his eyes off Calleigh, he set down the newest round of drinks, placing a fresh margarita in front of her before he sat down.

"So what are you plans for the rest of the night?" Valera asked after thanking him for getting the drinks.

Eric shrugged and Audra said, "It's all still up in the air. We're just going to see where the night takes us."

Calleigh fought to keep her expression stoic as Eric continued to watch her intently. She didn't want to think about where the night could take them, but really, was it any of her business? Finally annoyed with his calm, penetrating gaze, Calleigh locked eyes with him, silently challenging him. What the challenge was, she honestly couldn't say, but she would challenge him.

"So…evidently ass gerbils are big in the world of sex."

They broke eye contact almost simultaneously and turned to look at Valera. "What?" Eric asked, completely baffled.

Valera shrugged. "I have a friend who's a fire fighter and EMT. He said he's had a lot of callouts because people stick live gerbils in their butts and get them stuck.

"Oh."

"Lovely," Natalia murmured.

"Yeah," Valera forced a laugh. "This one guy's wife tried to smoke it out or something…she ended up accidentally burning her husband and getting smacked in the face with the dead gerbil."

"Well…you ready to head out, Eric?" Audra asked, looking slightly baffled, slightly disgusted at the concept of a rodent in one's anus. Calleigh almost wanted to laugh. "We could catch the 9:40 showing if we head out now."

Eric smiled graciously and stood, finishing off his coke. "Sounds good. I'll see you ladies later," he said, his eyes once again lingering on Calleigh, clearly trying to read her expression. But once again, Calleigh kept her face impassive as they said their goodbyes.

When Eric and Audra had left, Natalia turned to Valera. "What was that?" she asked incredulously. "Sounds like an urban legend…"

Valera shrugged. "I hate awkward silences."

/-/-/

Calleigh sat in front of the computer, unfocused eyes trying desperately to focus on striations before her. Unfortunately, for all the good her eyes were doing her right then, all of the bullets ever put on IBIS came from the same gun. She sighed, rubbing her eyes. She loved bullets, really, but if she had to look at anymore anytime soon, she'd go crazy.

"How's the search coming?" Came a voice from behind her. Calleigh jumped at the sudden intrusion. She'd been so focused on…well, nothing, but she hadn't heard him turn around. Regardless, he chuckled slightly. "Sorry."

"I don't know. I can't look at any more bullets right now."

"So…did Valera tell you more about these hamsters?"

"I think it was gerbils. She mentioned something about a strange smell…sometimes Valera tells me more than I really ever want to know. What do you have for me?"

"Two more bullets for you. Sorry."

"You do like to torture me, don't you?"

Eric laughed. "Of course." Calleigh watched as a lazy smile she can't quite place spreads over his face. "So what did you think of Audra?"

Example A, ladies and gentlemen.

"Why, you planning to marry her?" the comment was meant to be snippy and sarcastic, but it came out sounding somewhat sour.

"Not at all. I just want your opinion."

Calleigh shrugged. "She's—" a harpy? "—friendly. I'm surprised it took you guys a whole week to get a date"

"Calleigh," Eric smiled wider. "That's not an answer."

Was he really that stupid? He'd spent the better part of how many months bemoaning her relationship with Jake, and now he was going to flaunt his own. Well, that wouldn't fly. "How did the rest of your date go?"

"Ended early," he explained nonchalantly. "So, what did you think? Really?" and she's fairly certain he has a death wish because by the look on his face, he knows he's pushing her.

"What do you think of her?"

"I'm asking you."

Calleigh raked her hand through her hair. Then, with a deep sigh, she stood. "Eric, I don't know what you want me to say," she confessed, trying (and failing) to keep her voice neutral.

"The truth."

"That she's beautiful and exotic and leggy and sex-driven?" Calleigh asked finally. She really didn't want to play that game. She'd talked to him about more than enough of his girlfriends, and she was at the end of her rope. If he wanted dating advice, he'd have to take what she gave him or go somewhere else. "Do I think she's pretty? Yes. Do I like her? Hell no. Do I think she's right for you? Another resounding hell no. But if you want to waste your time on her, go ahead; it's your life. Just don't involve me."

Eric's smile widened. "No," he said gently. "That you're jealous."

"Excuse me?" she asked abruptly, chancing only a quick glance at his face.

"You're jealous."

"Of what? I'm not jealous of anything." Her voice was definitely at a higher-than-normal pitch. But that's just because she's mad…right?

"Really? Is she a suspect then?"

"What? In what? Don't be ridiculous," Calleigh said, making a move to stand but quickly thinking better of it.

"You have a very similar look for people you're about to throw in jail."

"I don't have a look."

"It was actually quite flattering," He said with a smug smile

Again, she denied. Especially because of that smile. "I don't have a look."

He laughed. "You looked like you wanted to take her head off."

"Why would I want to take her head off?" Calleigh snapped.

"Because you don't like her."

"I didn't want to take anyone's head off, certainly not your _girlfriend's_."

Eric took a step closer to her, placing a hand on her upper arm. His eyes twinkled humorously and a smile threatened to take over his face. "What is it, Calleigh?" he asked, taking another step closer, grabbing her other arm with his hand. Now she could feel his breath on her skin; she could smell at that was Eric, and he smelled wonderful. Briefly, her eyes fluttered shut before she remembered what she was doing. She quickly opened her eyes and sought out Eric's. He still looked thoroughly entertained, and for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why.

"I'm gonna take _your_ head off soon." But her threat came out as a low whisper, completely non-threatening.

"So, what was it that you didn't like about her?" Eric prodded in a gentle, almost seductive voice, leaning in closer to her. Involuntarily, she felt herself shudder.

Attempting to gain some semblance of control, Calleigh took a step back, but Eric wouldn't release her arms and she was forced to stay in place. "What the hell is your problem, Delko?" She said, finally regaining full use of her voice. "Can't you just drop it?"

"Not this time Cal, I want you to talk to me," he told her earnestly. He was still smiling, but now it was a somewhat sad smile on his face as he looked at her.

Calleigh felt anger bubbling from low in her stomach. What more could he want from her? Was he looking for proof that he'd made her jealous? That she'd spent the entire night tossing and turning, praying that the date somehow came to an early end with no chance of future growth?

If asked to explain herself later, Calleigh couldn't tell what was driving her, but before she knew what she was doing, her lips were on his. He recovered from the shock long before she did, so before she knew what was happening, he was deepening the kiss. He nipped at her bottom lip, causing a soft moan to escape as she opened her mouth. Of their own accord, her hands began at his hips, traveled up his body, and looped around his neck, pulling him closer to her. His hands raced up and down her sides before entangling themselves in her hair. She'd caught them both by surprise, but she had no intention of being the one to break the kiss, to end the moment. After what was the longest and the shortest kiss of her entire life, Eric pulled away, leaving them both panting for air.

Calleigh placed a hand on his chest to steady herself, unsure if the pounding she felt was his heart or her own. Still breathing heavily and erratically, she lifted only her eyes to look up at him. Like her, he was slightly stunned as he looked down.

She closed her eyes as his lips found hers once again. But this kiss was sweet, simple, tender. He finally broke the second kiss and cupped her face, running his thumb along her cheek. "Calleigh," he breathed, causing her to shiver. Leaning down, he placed a kiss to the top of her head and rested his forehead against hers.

Calleigh took a deep breath, taking in the Eric that was surrounding her. Finally, she sighed and said, "You're right." She smiled sheepishly. "I was jealous."

A/N part 2: Okay, so now that you've read this thing, I'm going to tell you that I honestly have no idea where it came from. I had a bunch of stuff rolling around in my head, and I think it all came together to make this highly unusual story. Yes, I realize that the characters have their ooc moments, but that's how it came out of the shoot, and who am I to argue when my week-late V-Day story pops into my head, regardless of the unusual form it takes?


End file.
